Photo Galleries
Candikuning
September 2004
From Munduk, we wove our way along mountain roads to Bali's "lake district" in the heart of a lush agricultural area. On one of the lakes, Danau Bratan, is the town of Candikuning, famous for it delicious strawberries and home to the Bali Botanical Garden and the beautiful lakeside temple Pura Ulun Danau Bratan.
The unexpected sight of fresh water in Bali: Lake Tamblingan, one of four lakes in the central highlands
Wildflowers at the lake overlook
A strange horizontal-growing tree (shrub?) at the Bali Botanical Garden in Candikuning
Chris rests in a "bale" (tradional Balinese pavillion for lounging, sleeping, meditating, etc.)
Azaleas in bloom reminded us of spring in DC
Tree ferns!
Our visit to the Botanic Garden coincided with the first rainstorm we 'd seen in six weeks on the island
We took shelter in a bale built over a pond in the aquatic garden; it was a beautful, peaceful spot in which to plan our next travels
For anyone who carefully tends one or two amaryllis bulbs at Christmas, here's a whole bed of them
We don't know the story behind this statue, but it looks dramatic
A barong (mythical lion beast like the one that danced at the local temple ceremony in Ubud) made out of shrubbery
Lake Bratan in Candikuning, home to colorful canoes and one of the most famous temples in Bali
This famous 17th-century temple is dedicated to the goddess of water (who makes everything grow) and features a rare 11-layer "meru" (pagoda-like shrine)
Muslim tourists (maybe from Java) visiting the temple, which is so famous that it appears on Indonesia's 50,000-rupiah bank note
The temple sits on a small island, so during the wet season it is surrounded by the lake (during our visit it was surrounded by mud)
A small native Balinese deer with unusual short horns lives in a large enclosure at the temple
Lake Danau is also popular for fishing and for paddling around in swan-shaped paddle boats
The temple site has Buddhist associations as well as Hindu ones, so it incudes this Buddhist stupa
